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[Aira Hakaari]

There are the stereotypes that the Caldari State has: corporate fascism, lack of individuality, etc. All are true, but when CCP doesn't do a good job at describing megacorps and their methods of working or operating, what do we do as RPers?

CBD Corporation is known for its massive amounts of exports and trade connections, but other than that, how is their corporate culture defined? It would better Caldari RPers everywhere if we were more aware of the perks that make up the State's big seven.

[Akrasjel Lanate]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacorporation

It refers to a fictional corporation that is a massive conglomerate, holding monopolistic or near-monopolistic control over multiple markets (thus exhibiting both a horizontal and a vertical monopoly). Megacorps are so powerful that they can ignore the law, possess their own heavily-armed (often military-sized) private armies, hold 'sovereign' territory, and possibly even act as outright governments. They often exercise a large degree of control over their employees, taking the idea of 'corporate culture' to an extreme.

The Walt Disney Company - Reedy Creek Improvement District

[Aira Hakaari]

Oh, I didn't mean the literal definition.   

[Mithfindel]

There's not that much information about the non-leading corps. We do know that the public image of the Spacelane Patrol is kind of a Top Gun/James Bond mix, hotshots going to exotic places.

CBD itself is a Practical corporation, ruthless and borderline legal in its dealings. Looking at ownership is interesting, as (for what it's worth), it's self-owned only by 42%, with a large anonymous share, and then its own subsidiaries. It's ideological competitor seems to be Hyasyoda. Hyasyoda's killer product, if I recall correctly, is antigravity systems, and ingame, they have only refining and mining stations (Perkone would be Hyasyoda's manufacturing division). Hyasyoda is also socially very conservative, but that's newer idea than the competitor data.

CBD owns:

Deep Core Mining, Inc. DCMI has co-operated with ORE to make the Orca. Revolutionary and secret mining tech. One-fifth anonymous share, otherwise controlled by CBD. Competing with Zero-G Research (Kaalakiota space colony corp).

Rapid Assembly. Large anonymous share, but still controlled by CBD. Makes lots of cheap stuff fast. Has no competitors listed, but Perkone (Hyasyoda's production arm, remember?) and Khanid Works (partnered with Ishukone) list Rapid Assembly as a competitor.

CBD Sell Division. What's on the tin. Partnered with Prompt Delivery, which is owned by SuVee.

Caldari Funds Unlimited. Retconned to be the State's national bank. CBD's share would seem to indicate that the corporate has roughly the same prestige as Hyasyoda and Lai Dai, being just ahead of NOH and Wiyrkomi.

Modern Finances. CBD has bought a small share from NOH. Business all around the place. Explains Rapid Assembly/Khanid Works competition, likely.

CreoDron. CBD is a major owner in the Gallente drone corp.

Notable competitors:

Caldari Provisions: A competitor of CBD Sell Division. Owned by Hyasyoda. Food & supplies, maybe part of the equation why Hyasyoda is listed a competitor to CBD proper (and vice versa).

Sources:
Evelopedia in general
http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Masks_of_Authority_(Chronicle)
http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/State_factionalism_(Chronicle)
Not used, but interesting:
http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/State_of_the_Caldari_State%2C_110.06.11
http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Catch_of_the_Day CBD uniformed salesmen? Though Catch of the day is a bit caricatyric.

[Seriphyn]

Yeah, there's a lot of PF regarding what the Caldari megas DO, but not how their individual citizens live.

The only point of reference is Caldari culture/customs overall, really.

[Kaleigh Doyle]

It's like a corporation...only its realllly big.

[Svetlana Scarlet]

Legally, in the State, it seems like this signifies the fact that you are recognized as a sovereign entity with extraterritorial rights -- a smaller corporation that doesn't have "megacorporate" status can probably have other megacorporate security forces strongarm their way onto their premises (or at least needs a patron megacorporation to provide them some level of legal protection). The political consequences of Ishukone police pursuing a criminal into a Kaalakiota enclave are probably a bigger deal than just pushing themselves into Mom and Pop's Fast Food Joint. This is pretty amorphous though, but it isn't just "you're a megacorporation if you have representation on the CEP" since Quafe has this status as well.

As far as what typifies each megacorporation...it's worth noting that each of the megacorporations must have millions (or billions) of employees, so it is quite likely they are as diverse as any modern nation on Earth, and I suspect even one part of a company could be quite at odds with another part (witness the conflict between Mens Reppola and...the other guy going for the Ishukone CEO position whose name I can't remember).

[Seriphyn]

90% of all property is owned by a megacorporation in the State.

Each megacorporation comprises itself as government, and its police arm as its military.

Each megacorporation will have subsidiaries designed to cover areas that it does not primarily involve itself in.

For example, CBD Corporation does import/export. Therefore, there will be CBD subsidiaries (not necessarily listed in NPC corps) that will cover primary, secondary and service industries.

Some megacorporations will be deficient in some areas, and proficient in others. Megacorporations deficient in manufacturing may not have a in-game NPC corp to represent it, and will have industrial subsidiaries that only sustain the megacorporation itself. The industrial subsidiaries are not exported out of that megacorporation or the State.

Megacorporations proficient in an area (and thus may have an NPC corp to represent it) export this industry/service to other megacorporations and/or outside the State.

Police arms may/may not have smaller bodies to control security/defence. May be monolithic in control.

NOH Corporation will have farms, mines and factories. But only its entertainment industry is competitive and exportable. The other industries are designed only to support its sovereignty and population.

[orange]

This is pretty amorphous though, but it isn't just "you're a megacorporation if you have representation on the CEP" since Quafe has this status as well.

But I think Quafe, Roden Shipyards, CreoDron, etc are all megacorporations as well.  They may lack the space borne security subsidiary, but they would still have subsidiaries and have almost entire worlds that they own/control.

---

Corporations are not a Caldari invention, the Caldari learned it from the Gallente.  200 years ago, the difference between Caldari and Gallente corporations was that the Caldari ones choose to leave what they viewed as an oppressive Federation (whose government was/is dominated by Senators in the pockets of those Gallente corporations).